Dust jacket has chips and small tears at top and bottom of spine; corners creased/small chips; spine faded; white back panel lightly soiled (see scans).

From the front DJ flap: Chicago, as Alson Smith sees it, is the most loved and most hated city in the US and perhaps the world."Chicago's Left Bank" explains why. With an urbane sense of humor...the author sketches the history and present status of the 'Seven Lively and Imperishable Arts' in the Windy City, with asides into education, business and vice. He shows how innovation has been the demon of Chicago, and how the city, for all its materialism, has been ... the seedbed, the creative center of America...